Reet Aus is going labelfree. Or at least as much as possible!

The textile sector produces around 53 million tonnes of clothing fibres each year of which over 97% is virgin feedstock, and more than half of them are plastic-based fibres made of oil (63%).

It is estimated that more than USD 500 billion in value is lost every year due to underutilised clothing and a lack of recycling. Clothes are used for only a short time, after which 75 % of them are sent to landfills or incinerated. Only around 13% of the material input is recycled for use by other industries, and that is mainly for use in lower-value applications.

In order to develop a successful circular textile system, there is a need for a coordinated approach at a systemic level. More collaboration is key, in order to find innovative solutions for textile circularity, development of new business models, and to foster further development of sorting systems, upcycling and recycling technologies.

Today in the European Union, a total of 25% of all used clothing is collected, out of which only 1% is recycled. One of the reasons for this is that clothes in the market are made with so many different and complicated materials. That´s why, besides us working with leftovers, we are always keeping in mind that our products must be easily recycled.

The final step we had to make towards using mono-fabrics was going label-free. That means from now on our label information is printed on the product or the labels are made with the same fabric as the product itself and sewn onto it. We have also given up on using hand-tags or brand-labels. It’s part of our future-conscious approach. One more step towards a circular system!